Closure operator



Dec. 1 7, 1929. 0, c, JOHNSON 1,740,020

CLOSURE OPERATOR Filed Dec 29, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 17, 1929; Q c, JOHNSON I 1,740,020

CLOSURE OPERATOR Filed Dec. 29, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 17, 1929 PATENT OFFICE- ORVILLE G. JOHNSON, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS CLOSURE OPERATOR Application filed. December 29, 1928.

This invention relates to closure operators and more particularly to that type involving automatic raising and lowering of a sectional closure upon the application of the weight of an automobile on an associated part. It has its special application to a garage door where platforms or tracks for a motor vehicle are provided at either side of the door, one of said platforms being depressed and the move ment translated into a relative movement of the door.

It has for its object the simplification of the details of construction of such a device is covered by my Patent Number 1,445,692,

dated February 20, 1923.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear in the following description and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the ap pended claims.

Like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the door showing the operating parts,

Figure 2 is a similar view of the lower part of the door showing the co-acting parts of the platforms,

Figure 3 is a front elevation looking from 3i) the inside of the garage,

Figure 4 is a detail showing the wheel mounted at the ends of the door, and

Figure 5 is a detail showing the manner of connecting the power chain to the lifting pulley.

Numeral 10 indicates as a whole my sectional closure mounted between ambs 11 of a doorway and consists of an upper door section 13 and lower section 14 hinged together at 15. The upper section 13 is hinged to a header 16.

The floor sections or platforms 17 and 18 are hingedly mounted at their outer ends by means of an angle iron 19 embedded in the cement, which angle iron is provided with headed bolts 20 over which a channel 21 rests,

which channel is attached to the under face of the platform. This makes an easily removable mounting for the platform on the drive-way and in the garage.

Serial No. 329,136.

At its abutting end the inside platform is I forms a bearing 23 for the outside platform.

The stem of the T-iron is provided with openings 24 by means of which the power chain is attached. The lower end of the power chain is constituted by a turn buckle 25 and it is this turn buckle which is attached to the stem 24.

Between the jambs, operating in suitable bearings 27 and 28, is mounted a shaft 26 and near the end of this shaft are pulleys 29 and 30 which are fastened to the shaft with set screws. These pulleys are flanged on the outer side and attached to the hub of the pulley is the power chain 32. The attachment of the chain to the pulley hub is accomplished by recessing the face of the hub so that the chain end will not be in the path of the subsequent Winding of the chain. This is inclicated by the numeral 33 in Figure 5.

The power chain in the inactive position of the door is wound upon this shaft but when either platform is depressed by the weight of an automobile a pull is exerted upon this power chain which will rotate the pulley wheel to which the chain is fastened. This chain in extending from the pulley wheel to the platform is passed over the rear arm 34 of a latch which is pivoted to the jambs at 35 and has a latch arm 36 engaging a keeper 37 on the lower door section. A spring 38 holds this latch end in engagement with the keeper normally. The construction of this latch will be more completely understood by reference to my copending application for patent Ser. No. 238,867, filed December 9, 1927. It will be appreciated that when the platforms are depressed and the power chain placed under tension, the first thing that will happen will be the lifting of the latch 36 from the keeper 37 This is due to the fact that there is a slight offset in the power chain due to the fact that it passes over the arm 34. i

From the pulleys 29 and 30 a lifting cable 39 extends to the lower portion of the door section 14 where it is attached through the medium of a lug 40, the attachment of the cable being substantially one and one-half inches (l from the inner face of the door. This attachment places the pull on the lifting cable at a point out of line with the hinges of the door sections and therefore causes the necessary buckling of the door sec tions in operation.

On the shaft 26 is a collar 41 which is secured to said shaft by set screw and to this collar is attached one end of a coiled spring 42 which is wound about the shaft. The opposite end of the coiled spring is attached at 43 to the header 16. It will be appreciated that the tension of this spring 42 may be adjusted by simply turning the collar on the shaft 26 and resetting it at any point where the tension of the spring is found to be proper. It will be appreciated that in the operation of the door this spring will be placed under tension and released therefrom. It is desirable to have this spring under tension as the door reaches its lowermost position as it will thereby act as a shock absorber and keep the door from slamming.

A second object is to assist in the preliminary upward movement of the door. The falling of the door will place the spring under tension and the tension of the spring will act to lift the door when the latch is released from the keeper.

From the foregoing description of the parts the individual functions thereof will be appreciated. There remains only a recital of the conjoint use of the several parts in the operation of the door to complete the full description of the invention.

lVhen the door is in inactive position and an automobile approaches it from either the inside or the out, both platforms through their connection are depressed, whereupon the power chain acts to lift the latch 36 from the keeper 37 and wind its associated pulley.

Upon the release 'of the latch from the keeperthe spring 42 assists in the preliminary buckling movement of the door. Due to the much greater diameter of the pulley over the shaft there is a relatively great movement of the lower end of the door upward as compared with the amount of depression of the platforms. The full movement of the platforms downward will produce the full movement of the door to its buckled position which is shown diagrammatically in Figure 1 of the drawings.

So long as the weight of the automobile is' upon either platform in going in or out of the garage the doors will remain elevated, but as soon as the weight is removed the doors will by their own weight move into closed position and lock. In this dropping however, the spring 42 is placed under tension and acts as a shock absorber.

It will be appreciated that the turn buckle 25 is provided for the purpose of properly adjustingthe abutting ends of the platform to the lower end of the door in order to present a neat and close joint between these parts.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a vertically movable closure, a pair of depressible operating elements, and means for causing the closure to be raised upon a depression of said operating elements, said means including an iron attached to one of said operating elements and presenting a shelf for the end of said companion operating element and also forming an attaching element for a cable.

2. In a closure operator embodying a vertically movable closure and a depressible platform, and means for transmitting motion from the platform to the door including a lifting cable and a pulley provided with a hub, one face of which is recessed to provide for the attachment of a flexible power element, the periphery of said pulley adapted to receive the door lifting cable.

3. The combination of a vertically movable building closure for a doorway comprising horizontally hinged sections, a depressible platform for operating the same, a shaft extending across the upper portions of said doorway, pulleys fixedly mounted at either end of said shaft, flexible power elements winding upon said shaft and attached to said depressible platform, lifting cables winding upon the peripheries of said pulleys and attached to the lower portion of said building closure, and tension means acting upon said shaft for cushioning the final movement of the door.

4. The combination of claim 3 in which the tensioning means is a coil spring adjustably fixed at one end to the shaft intermediate the pulleys and at its other end to the header of the doorway.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

ORVILLE C. JOHNSON. 

